As a youngster, Audrey McCallum began her private piano studies in the home of Miriam Sachs, a Peabody Preparatory instructor who eventually gave McCallum a full scholarship to study with her at the Preparatory. Now, through the Audrey Cyrus McCallum Preparatory Scholarship, McCallum has made the Peabody dream possible for other young students.

The first African-American student to attend the Peabody Preparatory, McCallum went on to earn degrees from Peabody Conservatory (BM ’60, MM ’67, Music Education-Piano) before embarking on a 50-year career as a music educator. Her generous $25,000 gift will provide scholarship support for low-income children to attend the Preparatory.

McCallum has long been an avid supporter of Peabody, serving for the past 20 years on the executive committee of the Society of Peabody Alumni, and from 2004 to 2010 as a member of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Council. She was honored last February with a Heritage Award from the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association. The award’s citation noted: “It is not a stretch, by any means, to say that you have been working toward the betterment of the Peabody Institute, and by extension, the Johns Hopkins University, since high school … your ability to bring joy into every room you enter changed history, blessed Peabody, and brings honor to Johns Hopkins.”

“I loved every minute of my stay at Peabody,” McCallum says. “I was a good student, it was prestigious, and I  can take that with me everywhere.”

— Sue DePasquale